The 12-year-old met Ismail Sabri Yaakob at a hotel here today and asked the prime minister about his favorite food, daily routine and whether he was familiar with “kampung” cuisine.

Ismail was also asked about his plans if given the opportunity to lead the country for another 10 years, to which Ismail replied that he hoped to eradicate poverty and the hardcore poor by 2025.

“The first thing we focus on is to make Malaysia a high-income nation, the second is for us to help the rural community and eradicate poverty so that there are no more poor or hardcore poor by 2025. We also want to make our country carbon neutral. So these are all plans for the future for people like you, Haziq,” he said.

After the interview session, Haziq, who was accompanied by his mother Nur Shakilla Zainol, 33, and several other family members, told Bernama that he was honoured to have been able to meet and interview the prime minister.

“It was a pleasure to meet the prime minister of Malaysia. It was most certainly a blessing for me. I see him as a good, loving and handsome person,” said Haziq, who also suffers from thalassemia.

Haziq had grabbed the attention of netizens through a video of him reporting the discovery of a python at a market in his hometown of Bukit Selambau, Sungai Petani.

The video, posted on Jan 24, has so far received 1.2 million views, and caught the attention of the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, who gave Haziq a mobile phone. He also received a tablet from communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa, and donations of schooling items from various parties including government agencies and individuals.